"He has admitted his guilt immediately and co-operated fully with the Gardaí.

"A file has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions and when formally charged Joshua will be pleading guilty at the first opportunity.

"We are absolutely devastated at this turn of events.

"Our son is eighteen years old, has never been in trouble with the Gardaí, and has made a huge mistake, which will have profound consequences for him.

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"We do not in any way condone his actions, in fact, we utterly condemn them but it is not for us to condemn him."

"We would ask that the legal process would be allowed to proceed to deal with this matter, without interference, and that we would be allowed to deal with this, like any other parents in a similar position."